


Dead Recovery

by Basmathgirl



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e06 The Lazarus Experiment, F/M, Prompt Fic, Romantic if you squint, Tumblr Prompt, replacing Martha in the capsule
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26717836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basmathgirl/pseuds/Basmathgirl
Summary: Donna is stuck in a mad scientist’s transformation capsule. Just what every girl dreams of really…
Relationships: Martha Jones & Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor & Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor/Donna Noble
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Dead Recovery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tokala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tokala/gifts).



> **Prompt:** Donna in Lazarus’s capsule with the Doctor instead of Martha – by [waltzing-with-sherlock](https://zvezda-moya-deactivated20181216.tumblr.com/)/[Tokala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tokala) (from way back n October 2014)  
>  **Disclaimer:** nothing here belongs to me, not even the gif set that sparked the prompt.

“So… what is this shindig we are going to, again?” Donna queried as she adjusted the fine details of her evening dress around her assets. 

It had been chosen by the TARDIS to match the V-neck sleeveless black number Martha had picked to wear. Except Donna’s version had her bursting out of the front of it. She bounced about in front of the mirror to make sure nothing fell out of place before she realised the Doctor hadn’t answered yet. 

Turning to face him, she demanded, “Well? Are you going to answer me or what?” 

“Ah, yes,” he spluttered, coming back to himself. “Was a little distracted by my thoughts then.”

“As if I hadn’t noticed,” she muttered to herself. The bloke had made going off into a brown study an art.

A quirked eyebrow forced him to reply. “It’s for Dr Lazarus. He has a new scientific discovery to announce.” 

“And for some strange reason you thought I’d be the appropriate companion to take with you,” she sighed. “Surely this is more Martha’s sort of thing? Much closer to studying medical science than the typing skills of just a mere office temp from Chiswick.”

“Donna,” he assured her, “you are far from just being anything, and anyway… Martha said she had important revising to do.” 

“In a time machine. That can take you to any day or place known to man. Or Time Lord,” she quickly amended before he had the chance to correct her. “Sounds a bit fishy to me.” 

“In what way?” he wondered. 

She watched him do up the buttons on his evening jacket and pondered whether he had any idea of the whirlwind of emotions he caused his younger companion. He certainly feigned knowledge of his good looks, but he slipped sometimes. Okay, make that a lot of the time. Who was counting? Especially if it meant, in this instance, she had a handsome date for a change. An actual, if non-romantic date, and a handsome bloke to walk beside. Double bubble. 

“Perhaps it’s me she’s avoiding rather than you,” she reasoned. 

“It’s neither of us,” he assured her, reaching out to take her hand and place it proudly on his forearm. “Martha said she would try to join us later on in the evening since her family will be there.” 

“Good,” she enthused, but it still sounded a little bit off to her. 

“Why did no one warn me how flipping mental Dr Lazarus is?” she griped as she stared directly into the Doctor’s eyes. 

It was a bit hard not to, since they were stood almost nose to nose, and definitely chest to chest, inside some wannabe Apollo spacecraft pod tube (Donna’s condescending description). In fact, they were trapped in there, having ran from Dr Lazarus’s weird experiment to turn back the effects of time on the human body. 

“To be fair, I didn’t know myself,” the Doctor defended himself. 

“You suspected him though,” she shrewdly guessed. “This had ‘mad scientist’ written all over it.” 

“Not all scientists are mad,” he insisted. 

“I’m with you, aren’t I? Of course, a night out in fancy clothing with fine dining involved a mad scientist,” she maintained. “It’s almost the law where you are concerned.” 

“I might have history of this sort of thing,” he reluctantly agreed. “But it wasn’t bad up until now, was it?”

“Quite nice, in fact,” she agreed, smiling at him. “I even get to be the same height as you for a change. Although the heels on these shoes are killing my feet.” 

What would happen if she ever stopped complaining? he wondered. Probably get kidnapped again, like she had on their first day together. “At least we’re safe in here, if squashed together.”

From outside the pod, they heard Lazarus threatening them by turning the experiment on.

Their eyes went wide. “Did he just…?” Donna asked in shock. “We’ll end up like the bloke in that film. The Fly.” 

“You and me, joined together. How awful,” he agreed. “Half Donna, half Doctor. Hang on…” He leant slightly down to fumble in his trouser pocket.

She immediately grimaced in disgust. “What the hell do you think you are doing? Stop prodding me in the stomach!”

“It’s just my sonic, Donna,” he tried to appease her, holding the item aloft for her to see. “My sonic screwdriver. Nothing dangerous.” 

“Depends what you are intending to do with it, sunshine,” she huffed. 

“Just this…” Then he began to slowly sink downwards. 

He halted when she yelled in his ear, “What do you think you are you doing now?!”

With all the patience he could muster, he calmly said, “Getting us out of this by opening the panel below us and reversing the neutron flow.” 

“You’ve just made that up,” she accused. 

“Maybe,” he allowed, “but I have to try. May I?” 

Somewhat embarrassed, she mumbled, “Help yourself.”

Sliding downwards, however, he didn’t manage to get very far. Something, or rather some things, was in the way. From inside her cleavage, he begged in a muffled voice, “Do you think you could breathe in a bit more? I’m having a couple of problems here.” 

“Sorry,” she blustered, trying to squeeze her body away from him. “Would it help if I tried to climb up you?” When his shocked face jerked upwards from his current viewpoint, she amended it to, “I’m sure I could get some grip on these sides and climb above you. Give you more space.” 

The countdown outside didn’t allow for much debate. “Do it,” he said, and continued his downward quest.

Ignoring any thoughts his sliding journey or consequences of Donna being partially on top of him caused, he determinedly opened a hatch to tamper with the control panel inside. 

“Any luck?” she anxiously asked from her perch above. 

“We’ll soon find out,” he cried, as the volume of the machinery around them grew louder. “I just wanted to say to you, in case I don’t get the chance later,” he began to proclaim over the noise.

The loud whirring suddenly stopped. 

Still fervently gripping the sides of the pod, Donna near whispered, “What were you going to tell me?” 

He triumphantly grinned up at her and helped her stand normally within his arms. “You’re brilliant, Donna Noble.” 

Now embarrassed again, she batted at his shoulder. “Geroff! You’re not so bad yourself. What’s happened to Dr Doom out there?”

“Got a double dose of his own medicine.” 

She gasped in horror as a thought hit her. “What about Martha and her family out there? Are they all scrambled up with him?”

“Nah,” he sniffed. “The room outside would have locally contained the effects.” 

“Lucky he threw everyone out then.” She smiled with relief. “One less problem for you. What happens now?”

He gestured towards the pod door. “We go and investigate out there. Still willing to come with me?”

“Any time, Spaceman.” 

Grinning from ear to ear, he grasped her hand. “Allons-y,” he declared. 

“How awful for you, stuck like that in such a small space,” Martha later sympathised, back in the TARDIS. “Just you and the Doctor, squashed up together.” 

“Careful, you sound almost jealous,” Donna warned her friend, and took another sip of her mug of tea. 

“Well…” Martha used the action of drinking from her own mug to double check the Doctor was nowhere near enough to overhear them talk. “In your shoes, I might have been tempted to make the most of it.” 

Donna chuckled. “Yeah, cos it was _so_ romantic.” 

“It could have been,” Martha teased with a tilt of her head.

“Especially when he produced his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket as though it was an engagement ring. Not,” Donna snorted. 

It was beyond Martha to hold in her laughter. “But honestly, didn’t you get anything out of it?”

“Well, having his face wedged in the front my bra, with his breath all over my skin, caused something,” Donna agreed. “Disgust, mainly.” When, to her delight, Martha laughed loudly, she added, “Honestly though. He’s an alien, still mooning over some human girl he recently lost. That’s a lose-lose situation in my book. Nope, I don’t need that sort of heartbreak. It was bad enough being earmarked for spider consumption by my cheating late fiancé.” 

“Then you don’t mind if I remain hopeful?” Martha cautiously enquired. “About him and me.”

“I’d rather you chased after someone else, for your own good, but I don’t mind you having a thing for him.” Her friendly warm smile wrapped Martha up in a hug all on its own. “I’ll even big you up with him, if you want, but I reserve the right to be amused by it all when possible.” 

“You’re on,” Martha giggled. “To friends,” she proposed, holding her mug up.

“And friendship,” Donna added, clinking mugs to complete the cheer.

If true friendship meant not mentioning it hadn’t been his sonic screwdriver that created a reaction as he’d shimmied down her body when they were incarcerated, then so be it. Secrets were a thing she was used to keeping for friends.


End file.
